It's always interesting to see things put in their proper context. Consider this photograph of an ambulance rushing to the aid of some innocent bystanders, from the Associated Press:
An ambulance drives to the site of an explosion after an Israeli airstrike in the town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip,Thursday, Nov. 14, 2007. The Israeli army opened fire Thursday on a car carrying militants in northern Gaza, killing two and injuring five, [...] (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Obviously, we're to assume that someone is truly in need after seeing this picture. You'd be surprised, though, to discover the true context of all of that smoke in the background:
Palestinians look at a homemade rocket after the launching area was hit in an Israeli airstrike in the town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2007. The Israeli army opened fire Thursday on a car carrying militants in northern Gaza, killing two and injuring five, [...] (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
In other words, the Israeli Air Force launched an attack on a legitimate military target. Imagine the shock!
Alas, the truth not always as simple as the emotional appeals make it appear to be. At the time of writing, I haven't seen any photographs on the wire of any strike on a car, and these are generally fairly well-documented. If I run across any, I'll be sure to update things here—until then, I'm writing that little nugget of information off as a lie, as the evidence available in this second photograph contradicts it pretty strongly.
As an aside, you might have noticed that I redacted a portion of the caption in both of these photographs. This is because the source of the information that went into these captions is very amusing. For your enjoyment, here is what's missing from the above captions:
militants and a health official said.
Glad to see that the Associated Press considers militants to be a trustworthy source of information. Or, at least, as trustworthy as "a health official." Journalistic integrity, indeed.
Tags: khalil hamra AP
Comments:
#1 forest 15-Nov-2007
How did that photo of the rocket and rocket launch thingy get past the editors? It makes it look like the Israelis are bombing terrorists.
#2 Eric W 15-Nov-2007
How stupid do those civvies have to be to get so close to live ordinance? I guess it's one of those things, like the car swarm phenomenon, that I'll never understand.
#3 ajm 16-Nov-2007
It is fairly common for a Muslim believer to hope for such a death. It would be a good death and Muslim life is so boring and cruel.
#4 captainfish 17-Nov-2007
yes, but notice that the rocket is laying on its side. They seem to be hesitant. Could this have been a live rocket and was knocked off of the launch platform (seen in pic) when an Israeli anti-humanitarian bomb went off?
Could that smoke in first pic really have been from the people messing with that live rocket and then it went off? (snicker)
The second pic is a bit different due to the depth of field. Makes it hard to determine how far away the people really are from the rocket.
How come Israel does not go after the official meeting places of Hamas? Hamas is an international terrorist organization bent on Israel's destruction.... right?
But then, our world... "has moved on". Even in USA, we turn a blind eye when Mexico kidnaps 30 people from American soil. About 20 are still being held. How long are we going to put up with a nation that wants to do harm to us on our border?
Could that smoke in first pic really have been from the people messing with that live rocket and then it went off? (snicker)
The second pic is a bit different due to the depth of field. Makes it hard to determine how far away the people really are from the rocket.
How come Israel does not go after the official meeting places of Hamas? Hamas is an international terrorist organization bent on Israel's destruction.... right?
But then, our world... "has moved on". Even in USA, we turn a blind eye when Mexico kidnaps 30 people from American soil. About 20 are still being held. How long are we going to put up with a nation that wants to do harm to us on our border?
